Holy Hypocrisy

Hypocrites are a dime a dozen--the church deacon who acts spiritual on Sunday but sexually harrasses women on the job. The examples are endless. But more insidious is the holy hypocrisy that is not so obvious--when "respectable" Christian leaders present a godly exterior that covers deception and lies. See also www.ruthtucker.net

Sunday, November 12, 2006

I am reminded of Holy Willie when I think of my situation at Calvin Theological Seminary. (See My Calvin Seminary Story or Calvin Seminary Shamed.) As the only full-time woman professor in 125 years, I was singled out and given a terminal appointment. Why? When all charges of academic incompetence proved ungrounded, the seminary president, Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. accused me of unspecified ungodliness-- of "defecits" "deficiencies" and "ungodly conduct."

The "conduct" remains a mystery but surely not the hypocrisy of the seminary administration. HOLY HYPOCRISY has always been part of the church. "Holy Willie" is a humorous example. But the phenomenon is far less humorous when it is hidden by "legal" claims of "confidentiality"--which is precisely how the seminary administration has tried to cover-up its demeaning treatment of me.

Holy Willie's Prayer

Holy Willie's prayer by Robert Burns is a poem that was written about a certain Willie Fisher who was an elder in the Parish church of Mauchline, in Ayrshire. Fisher was a hypocrite and himself a sinner who spied on people and reported them to the minister if he thought they were doing wrong. The poem is a satire based on Fisher's sickly self-righteousness. The phrase "Holy Willie" have become part of the Scots language for describing someone that is humourless and ultra religious.

[Burns himself, according to one source, was a God fearing man. This poem is not anti religion. It is stricly a condemnation of religious hypocrisy and self righteousness.]

O Thou, that in the heavens does dwell,As it pleases best Thysel',Sends aen [one] to Heaven an' ten to Hell,For Thy glory,And no for onie or illThey've done afore Thee!

About Me

I'm a teacher, writer, conference speaker, gardener, and blogger. Husband John Worst is Professor of Music emeritus at Calvin College. We love the outdoors and living on the Grand River, and we delight in our grandkids, Kayla, Mitchell, Ashley, and Zachary.

My CTS Story

I began teaching at Calvin Theological Seminary in 2000--the first full-time woman professor in the school's 125-year history. In 2003, less than 3 months after Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. was installed as the new president, I was, without warning, removed from tenure track and given a terminal appointment. I have repeatedly asked that all the evidence be opened only to be blocked by a dishonest cover-up. When independent mediators were retained by the seminary board in 2005, they called for "retroactive pay to 2003," among other things. That report was buried. I finished my second terminal appointment on August 31, 2006, and shortly thereafter published my story at www.ruthtucker.net.